Puzzle Box
by ShrimpFry
Summary: The picture is always rendered incomplete until all the pieces are fitted together. A series of Narutocentric introspections from multiple points of view. Slashy.
1. Chapter 1

**Puzzle Box**

Summary: The picture is always rendered incomplete until all the pieces are fitted together. A series of Naruto-centric introspections from multiple points of view.

Basically, this is a collection of thoughts and observations centered around our favorite blonde-haired, blue-eyed, Kyuubi-containing vessel. It will include snippets and thoughts of various lengths coming from all over. That is to say, any one from any where, from any time, and any place. Characters, timelines, villages, and even the Naruto universe will be open to be played with. The "chapters" that will be posted in this series will have almost nothing to do with each other, except for the fact that the sole subject will be Naruto.

Hope that explains it.

And as a side note, this little project was birthed out of Fry's impatience with the rate of A Broken Promise, something that is trying to be remedied, but there is no cure for Shrimpy's laziness. So before anyone asks, we're working on it.

General warning for the entirety of the series: There will be SPOILERS for all of Naruto that is currently out in Japan. This was written when the last chapter I had read was 325. In order to understand most of it though, simply knowing through the Battle of the Valley at the End is enough. Probably won't do too much with the characters introduced in the new arcs, but one never knows.

(Opens box)

Here's the first piece.

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**Piece One: Definition of Beauty**

It was once said that "Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder," but that was a view that never made any sense to him. Such an concept would only birth the idea that everyone's perception of beauty was different, when they were very much the same. It was simply how people described beauty that was different, for that adage that was comparable to the notion of two people looking at one image and calling it by two different names.

Beauty was something more than such a shallow graceless definition. It was something permanent and everlasting. It existed everywhere and could be embodied in anything, if people only had the patience too look.

He was a researcher of beauty. His entire ambition was to seek out the true beauty which was hidden. His limitation was that one man with one lifetime could not possibly find all the beauty there was to see and discover.

He had only determined what was not beauty.

Those with weak hearts saw the beauty that was only the thin veneer over the truth. What they accepted as perfection was overrated, as there was no beauty in perfection.

Perfection created egoism, and haughtiness, and the result was nothing that could be described as beautiful.

Some people were drawn to power, and they saw the strength one possessed over another as beauty. And again he would reason that they were mistaken.

Though it was true that through sweat and blood, something spectacular could be revealed, there was something much more meaningful than the ideal to be the best. After all how could there be beauty in something so superficial that a conquest could be achieved through chance? It would not even remain for very long for there was always another victory to be sought, and then power faded so easily. It was something that was not always remembered.

No, he defined beauty as something much more real, something almost tangible but not. Yet it always existed and forever would.

Beauty could only be found in contrast. How could one call something beautiful, if there was not something ugly to compare it to? Where was grace without the ungainly? What was insightful without the obtuse? One could simply not exist without the other. In order to have beauty, the repulsive must also exist.

Beauty could be found in the deformed, not in their physical manifestation, but in their personality, their soul. Just as a person who deemed themselves as attractive could be found to be hideous within. That grotesque conflicting nature of humans could take away from the beauty they possessed or elaborate on what they already had.

There was beauty in destruction, as one could see the fire, the light in devastation, yet could still appreciate the peace of the unbroken.

Beauty could only exist in contrast, and in order to see all the beauty of the world, one might have to create the contrast.

It was his ambition.

He was no artist, nor was he a composer, or a lover of the fine arts. No, he appreciated something much deeper, much more meaningful than trivial strokes on a scroll, or the vibrations in the air that would pass out of mind and memory too quickly. What he sought was an everlasting sign of contrast, and that could only be brought around by pain.

It would be the pain of bottomless despair, for that was the only kind that remained forever. He had attempted my experiments over the time, glossing over his efforts as physical experimentation, but it was the mind that interested him.

He had come close a few times with his apprentice Anko, but that had failed when he became too appreciative of a different kind of beauty she possessed. It was lovely, but it was not his goal. So he abandoned her, and tried a different approach with a young man picked up from an enemy village. That too failed, but the boy became useful as a tool in his endeavors.

No, it was not until much later, after he had left the village of leaves and fire, and had witnessed the true horrors and desperation of the village. A youma of great power had been laying waste to his home village, and he had only observed with mild interest.

It was when he had seen the beauty of the Fourth, of the Yondaime, that it had stirred his attraction. A lone man against the rampaging beast of limitless power. One would have thought that the youma would have attracted him more, with bloodlust glowing in it's eyes and the ferocity with which it deigned the destruction of the village.

No, it was to the single blonde man, who was only young in body, who stood against the embodiment of annihilation, who so captured his fascination. That youthful face, drawn in seriousness. Eyes, bright orbs of sapphire, glowing with determination. And the resolution with which he stood. It was the beauty of self-sacrifice, and he found himself addicted to it.

Even when his enemy was seen as nothing more than a beast, the Yondaime had stood tall, and faced it as a true opponent. And in the end, showed mercy and compassion in its defeat. Instead of obliteration, the youma was merely sealed, within the belly of a child meant to be a hero.

But that was the flaw of the Yondaime, always too naïve to understand human nature. He understood it quite well, though. The boy would be reviled by the whole village, seen only as the demon itself, and not as selfless creature who imprisoned the youma within his own body.

The boy would suffer abuse, alone and unwanted. He would be ignored and shunned, and in the end, the boy might despair.

But the boy was yet still a bud. He would hold no interest to him until the bud bloomed, or at least grew up. That would be years in the making.

Still he awaited such a moment with anticipation. He at last had a medium with which to paint true beauty, he need only the tools to set it in motion.

He found them in the form of a boy and his brother.

Smiling to himself, Orochimaru seated himself deep within the bowels of the Otogakure castle.

When one lived only for vengeance, they often neglected the important things they would leave behind. He counted on that to stir the betrayal within the soul of his one trusted friend. That would be enough.

He wanted to see the depths of pain and self-sacrifice his artwork would suffer. He wanted to see the true beauty emerge from the unpredictable shell. It was time to cast aside the crystallis and reveal the blossom.

He waited for he knew the young one would come to him. And in time, he would see true beauty revealed.

He had his brush, his colours, and the most extraordinary canvas to be found. He had applied the first few strokes, and chosen the colours to paint. It was only a matter of time before the piece emerged.

Orochimaru eagerly awaited the day when that blonde-haired, blue-eyed wonder would come to him, chasing after his dear friend who was loved like a brother. It was then that he would see anguish and strength, and the contrast of existence between he who lived for power, and he who lived for himself.

He has seen beauty in the Fourth Hokage, but he had revealed it within the Yondaime's legacy. Nothing gave him more satisfaction than the knowledge that the youth everyone had grown so fond of was just a product of his machinations.

Through the boy, would everyone see true beauty.

_Fitted_

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Shrimpy: So we started off with Orochimaru. I didn't want to, but his was the easiest, so to speak. Actually, it was more of he was the first thing to pop into my head. He might get more later, but I think Fry was looking into Neji or Gaara next. Maybe even a Kyuubi based one.

Fry: Was anyone confused by this? It was too short, but not much development to be seen here, so Shrimpy skipped over most of the timeline. It probably isn't too accurate either as she didn't want to go look up EXACTLY when Orochimaru left the village, and neither did I for that matter.

Shrimpy: Fry's lazy too.

Fry: I'm practical. It's more important that I restore all the data you lost when you reformatted like a dunce, most notably how you lost ALL of ABP that had already been written.

Shrimpy: (shuts up)

Fry: Thought so. Now this series will be ongoing with no real end or beginning, just ideas that will be tossed around. Some might depict the same event different times. This really is a puzzle as in it's just a bunch of pieces, but we hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless. Any suggestions for more puzzle pieces is welcome.

Shrimpy: Sorry it's so short.

Fry: Give us your thoughts, and we'll see what image emerges next.

Shrimpy: Bye bye.


	2. Chapter 2

Shrimpy: Fry's been on the fritz, brainstorming left and right. Our muse has been attacking us with a bunch of new ideas. They'll mostly be unrelated short pieces, and we've been discussing maybe posting them all under one title like an anthology (if it's not against the rules) or posting a bunch of oneshots or twoshots.

**Piece Two: Machinations of Medicine**

He didn't understand, truly. He knew what was expected of him, and what was wanted. He knew how to carry out orders, and even follow his leader to the end, since that was his wish, of course.

He didn't understand that boy.

The boy was interesting, but beyond that, he saw no appeal.

What was so important about that boy?

The boy had come as one of many, seeking out the one who would succeed him. He would have to protect his heir, he knew, but the circumstances had sounded odd. In particular , he had been dispatched specifically for a single boy.

He whose abilities were that of one of the greatest families, a pure and powerful kekkei genkai, was sent for one purpose, one boy, and it wasn't his successor.

That boy, was interesting.

Within the boy, he could see a raging inferno, kept in check by the boy's stubbornness. Easily, those abilities of fire and chakra, rage and ferality, could be explained by a kekkei genkai. But there was something more that preceded all of that. Was that what had made the boy so special? So dangerous?

He stood with powers that easily rivaled that of the Bijuu, the complete power of his body, his own kekkei genkai. Even with his declining health, defeat was not something that would come easily to him.

The boy said such strange things. Spoke of things that didn't matter, of things that were not useful. But the boy followed it, believed it with his heart and soul.

He didn't see the point. Why would one bother with that which was not useful?

Shinobi were only tools, objects with which to fulfill a duty. Each shinobi had to have a purpose, else what other reason did they exist for?

He had a purpose, an exceedingly important honor. Alas, he could not fulfill his duty. So, he was placed under care and caution, so that he could be preserved until there was another task to carry out.

There was no doubt in his mind that this would be his last mission.

The skills of that Medic Nin were only so great, and were limited against the disease that wracked his body. His had been a body that could not be harmed, and yet against a virus, he could do nothing.

Perhaps, this was the merit of the boy.

He was virus, small and innocuous, until the boy pervaded every cell and into the very core of a person. The boy would take over the person, in his own way, and there was no treatment.

He could see it in the way that others came to his aid. They had no reason to, and yet they came, as if called.

So many had yet fallen to the virus that was the boy, but not his successor. That was important.

He had to stay the speed of this team, hold them until his successor had made it safely to their village, unhindered by those he had left behind.

He watched, impassive as the boy left, another member of the team taking his place.

All of them had been infected by the virus of the boy, affected by him.

Such a small thing that could be easily overlooked until it was too late.

It was a good thing then, that his leader was not so daft, not so blind as to ignore the danger of the small thing.

His lord never left anything to chance.

He had been the last of his bloodline, a valuable and powerful family, and yet, no one had come for him.

He had been forgotten and cast aside for the very ability that had given power to that village. It was too bad that madness and violence had also run in their blood.

When his lord had come, he had made small demands. And he had followed them. Schooling his mind and controlling the madness of violence to answer only the command of his lord. He saw a future for a child who had been cast aside. It was not revenge, but purpose.

That boy, the one who affected so many, had no purpose, only unfulfilled dreams.

The boy was soft and kind and too emotional to be a valued ninja.

There was no strength, no willpower in the boy to carry out his dreams.

Unlike himself, his will, steadfast and strong, kept him on his path. If he could not be the vessel to his lord, then he would be his right hand, his power. He would be the servant until the end, the only thing that mattered. It kept him moving, his belief in himself and the need to carry out his duty. He had sworn himself, and he would no break his vow, not to the one who had saved him and given him purpose.

The boy gave no purposes, only a freedom which he could not understand.

Another was answering the boy's call, the other jinchuuriki, one allied with the village of leaves and fire.

That one too had been infected.

So many shinobi, so much potential, contaminated, corrupted. Unclean like his disease ridden body.

They stared at him, unwavering in their beliefs, against him, for the life of his successor.

They were to blind to yet see that the one whom they sought answered another's call already.

Perhaps his lord too was such a virus as the boy was. But, his lord would give purpose.

The boy could never do that, could never offer such purpose.

But still the others had followed the boy, identical in their tenacity, believing their own faith and conviction, different from one another.

Why did they fight so hard of a purpose that wasn't theirs?

It was all that of the boy who stirred them, brought them together.

Watching the titan of sand, one who had been a strong ninja and had shared a madness akin to his, he wondered what was the draw of the boy?

How could he affect so many?

No matter how strong a virus, there were some who could resist, who would be immune. Yet every one the boy touched, changed.

Perhaps, the boy was no virus, after all, but a way of life.

One he would never understand and would never have a chance to understand.

Perhaps, he had only glimpsed too late what else the boy had offered.

He had fallen too far into his own conviction, fighting when his body was virtually no more, and died against the Kage of the Kaze.

_Fitted_

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Shrimpy: Arg! So vague! It was supposed to be Kimimaro. I have no idea how to make it longer. The only thing keeping it going was Fry and her constant mention of virus as she studied for her Micro finals. So short too!

Under that same kind of note, school's almost out for both of us. And ABP chapter 5 is still in the works. We were debating the inclusion of other characters in more detail, and working in others that we have missed. The thing is, we have more time, so although ABP might not be coming out as quickly, maybe other things might.

Thanks to anyone who reads this stuff. It's just so…blank and empty.

Maybe we'll start to make things more storylike. Jumping from random character to random character doesn't sound as good on paper as it did in our heads. Any ideas on changing this format would be welcome, and we'll revamp the previous chapters, maybe…


	3. Chapter 3

Shrimpy: I know it's been a while. I have no idea what to say.

The title does come from the FFVIII song, but it just popped into my head after FFing so much. Crisis Core FTW!

_**MASS SPOILERS**_. This goes beyond the Kakashi Gaiden and takes place where Naruto meets Sasuke for the first time after the timeskip. Explanations for the confusion at the bottom.

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**Piece Three: Eyes on Me**

Naruto.

Have you replaced me?

I saw him today. That one who claimed to have joined the Snake Sannin.

He came to me at night. He spoke to me about you, saying your name so candidly. He is the one who filled the empty space in Team Seven. He is my replacement.

But have _you_ replaced me?

Konoha has. The Hokage has. Even Kakashi has. But he has replaced you in my place, so it is not so bad.

I am irritated though. Sai irritates me.

He ran by your side, my place. You stood near him when I awoke. It vexed me to see you with that Team again. That cell group should have collapsed. But you kept it alive.

I don't have to ask why.

I know you, more than you think.

You let me come so close to that carefully guarded heart of yours, and today, I slipped through the cracks. I saw the swollen boils adorning that fox that you keep within you. He is a sickly creature who speaks perversely, a grotesque monster which you house.

I should have killed it instead of banishing it from our link.

The way you gaped almost made me smile. Those blue eyes of yours, open so widely. But for that moment, there was hesitation, almost as if you feared me. But that cannot be so.

When I left, I grew, as did you.

My absence has made us both stronger.

You should thank me.

Yet, have I been replaced?

Tell me Naruto, what did you think as I slid my arm around you? You had shown such surprise after seeing me for the first time in two and half years. I suppose you should have, yet, I have not changed that much.

Taller perhaps, and I am in need of a hair cut, but they are superficial observations compared to how you have changed. You have grown beautifully, developing those latent abilities of yours.

Have you learned of your chakra type yet?

I hope you have.

You're a wind type while I am a fire type. You were born to aid me, as your nature shows. You complement me, and I await the day you learn of it.

Naruto, don't make me wait to long. I am not a patient person.

Itachi comes closer to Konoha each day, he and his band of rogue ninja.

The Akatsuki plan on changing the face of the ninja world by using the bijuu and jinchuuriki to do so.

You are the last to capture, with the wicked nine-tailed beast within you.

But Itachi is to gentle with you. It sickens me to see how he speaks so softly to you, when you, yourself is unaware of his true nature.

He is an evil man, willing to kill without mercy.

At least I grant them life, if not consciousness.

Do you see, Naruto?

Do you see how sick a man like him is?

He is cold and cruel and has abandoned everything he should have held dear.

But I am different.

I have abandoned my village, my Hokage, my family and name.

I have not abandoned you.

In these past two and a half years, I have seen you, although we had not met.

Do you remember, Naruto?

In and inn just within Mist Country. You sat on a stool at a wooden table which faced the door. You sat with your back to the wall and your face just outside of the shaded hanging lamps. You listened well to the Toad Sannin who taught you., but he should have taught you more about stealth. You laughed loudly enough to be heard across the bridge so aptly named.

I sat in a far corner, close enough to see you clearly. Your sensei was off, drunk in a bar, and you sat with that child whom you taught not to cry. He took up all of your attention, but it is forgivable since he is young. Once he is older though, I shall not be so kind.

That, however, was mere coincidence. I had been sent to retrieve an article for a colleague of mine. You haven't met him, but his smile is similar to yours. Suigetsu has a wide and toothy grin, but his eyes hold no comparison to your own.

I have seen you elsewhere, skirting around the borders of Stone territory. There, I had been visiting someone who is of use to me, a strange girl whose attitude I have yet to pin down. She's a Stone-nin of value for her abilities alone. Her personality is confusing…

Again near Stone, you were there. You lagged pitifully behind, but you were diligent in never straying too far behind. Regretfully, I only glimpsed you briefly as my business was within a prison in Stone. The person whom I went to see was unfit to be outside, so I had to visit him far beneath the surface.

Later, I learned of your transformation, the one of your own blood and flesh. I had heard it to be fearsome and wild, and that you had even lost your sense of self.

You will learn.

Before you stand by my side, you will learn to bend the creature's will to yours.

I will see to it.

As I left you, I did not look behind. I did not need to. Your eyes grew dark for just a moment, but it was all I needed.

I knew that you could sense when I whispered within your mind. How I followed you with my eyes and hissed gentle words into your ear when you slept.

I wonder if you heard?

I must wait for the day that you understand me clearly.

It must be soon though.

I cannot wait much longer.

Itachi is too close to you. He comes on orders of a man whom not even Orochimaru knows.

Pein, the former Rain-nin with his strange eyes, is only the pawn of the true leader, however, his skills are not unremarkable. He is a powerful man whom the other member grudgingly accept. Even Orochimaru has spoken of him in a softer tone.

But I digress. I must warn you of the threat of Itachi. He is losing his eyesight with each passing day, but his strength does not dwindle or fade, nor do the eyes he has set upon you.

Bright and vivid, you hide poorly and can be found quickly.

Follow me and stay at my back forever, and you will be protected. Itachi will approach me first. I shall make sure of it.

I have a ring for you. It goes on the smallest finger of your left hand, but you shall not wear it. The ring is special, and will draw the Akatsuki to you. For now, I shall keep it. When the danger passes, I shall present it to you, and you will speak on my behalf of my innocence to the Hokage.

I do plan on returning to Konoha. The Uchiha states must not be left unattended for much longer.

I do have pride in my blood, after all.

The Sharingan will not die with me.

I will keep it alive and gift my heirs with it.

A wife I will take. It will be the most I do for Konoha though, and she will be the wife of the Uchiha head in name only.

I plan on keeping you by my side.

This has all been done to meet my selfish needs, I admit. But it will ensure a better life for you as well.

I have not forgotten the day by the lake.

I saw you but did not look back as you watched my passing.

You had been left alone, and spent the next eight years as such. You shall not be alone with me.

So follow me, follow behind me, track my steps.

I shall not run too far ahead, but keep me in sight.

Eventually, I will come for you, when you are ready.

In the meantime, as I leave you in Orochimaru's fallen chamber, grow stronger. When you possess the strength to suppress the demon and surpass you mentors, I will come.

Naruto, forever have you eyes on me.

_Fitted_

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Shrimp: Ugh, I hadn't meant to do Sasuke yet, but this just popped in to my head.

There were tons of references from the manga all over this. And it was completely out of order, but when the idea was in my head, I was too lazy to look up the chapter again. I couldn't even remember which one it was.

Anyways, the ring Sasuke was talking about was Orochimaru's Akatsuki ring which he kept, even while he was fleeing the organization. Basically, I meant to imply that Sasuke had killed Orochimaru.

I know what happens later, with Orochimaru, and Itachi, and Sasuke being a right general douche, but I was trying to write it from the perspective of the point in time in Orochimaru's cavern. Naruto's first sight of Sasuke after two and a half years. All the stuff inbetween I made up.

I don't know if Karin is from Stone or not. I've completely forgotten details from that time, so I pretended that it was Stone Country and stuff.

As for the chakra types, in Naruto's training with Kakashi and Yamato, Naruto learns of chakra types and what their relationship is with each other. They all have an elemental type (water, lightning, fire, wind etc) and can be found out by the paper test. Wind is weak against Fire, but Wind can also be used to _support_ Fire, hence Sasuke's comment.

As if Jiraiya _couldn't_ sense Sasuke, but bear with me. We must give the old man his breaks.

Oh, and Sasuke's supposed to be jealous of Sai.

Sasuke is a sick, sick man.

PS: I need a beta. Fry has been totally AFK, but not without reason. Help me and I promise that ABP will come out faster!


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